Elevation Gain: 1,176m
Distance: 16.1km
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Date: January 2nd, 2026
Padella Peak, also known as Piz Padella is a broad domed summit in the Babine range just east of Smithers. It’s not officially named despite being taller and more prominent than Mount Harvey and Pyramid Mount just North. I didn’t know much about this summit when I first found it on a map though. Andrea and I had just arrived in Smithers the day before and I had to drop Andrea off at the airport early in the morning. That meant a late start for whatever objective I’d be tackling on my own. Regardless of the late start, the avalanche conditions weren’t great so I figured I’d dip my toes into the Babine Range to see how things were.
I originally planned for Astlais Mountain but at the last minute when driving up to it I decided it was too risky with the windslab potential. I pivoted to Padella Peak as there’s a service road a ways up and I could ski on easy terrain in the alpine above. A short drive later and I was heading down an unexpectedly plowed service road where I managed to eliminate a few kilometers of plodding.
From my parking spot, I skinned a ways up the road and past a gate where some recent ski tracks were laid out ahead. The tracks stopped only a few kilometers down the road and I continued on up through an old cutblock. Once I was in the forest, I realized this was going to be a tricky ski out. All around me were dense trees and deadfall to contend with, but I managed an okay line through it all.
Eventually I reached the alpine and it seemed I might have a few good turns ahead of me! From the treeline it was an easy plod to the top. The views were great and I had my first proper look at the summits in the area. My time up there was short lived though as I wanted to be out of the forest before dark.
I strapped on the skis and did my best few turns through pockets of wind slab and variable snow. The ride down through the forest wasn’t as bad as expected, but it was hardly graceful. Once I was back on the road I had a fast ski back to the car. Not a bad way to get out to the area, but I certainly wish conditions had allowed for something more exploratory.
